


When Skies Are Gray

by chubnoodle



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 12:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chubnoodle/pseuds/chubnoodle
Summary: “Alfonse..” Came Kiran’s reply before they trailed off. Alfonse bit his lip, ready to take back all that he had said or claim it as platonic through and through, when a light touch ran down the length of his cheek. “I’m so happy to have met you, to fight these battles time and time again. I’m so honored to be your tactician, to have your back no matter what. I would be over the moon to be your partner.”





	When Skies Are Gray

**Author's Note:**

> just for reference, italics are memories!

The sharp noise of metal clashing against metal was almost deafening to the ear, interrupted every once in a while by the agonizing scream of someone getting hurt or a blast of magic raining from the sky. A wyvern rider fell from the sky, the huge creature skidding across the battlefield with no remorse for anyone it crushed on its way down.

Alfonse couldn’t see if anyone from their side was injured by the hurt wyvern, but the beast was struggling to stand back up. He caught a glance of Camilla climbing over it’s back and patting the side of it, before launching herself at an archer.

Reassured, he turned back to the battle at hand, he bashed his shield out at a passing enemy and pierced the stunned soldiers side with Fólkvangr, the other collapsing with a heavy thud.

The battle was starting to thin out, enemy groups being overrun by bigger groups of Heroes, most taking to running away now. Glancing around, Alfonse tried to catch sight of that familiar white and gold cloak he had come to love so dearly amidst the dying battle.

He saw Sharena aiding a couple of Heroes in taking down an enemy wyvern rider, their combined efforts would easily overcome the rider. Anna was pushing and calling for the last groups to be chased away, but not to be harmed any further.

After another couple moments of searching, Alfonse’s gaze finally found his beloved summoner, who was one of the last ones to be pushing back a group that was still fighting back. They, too, were calling out orders and attacking whenever they could, lashing out with Breidablik.

Alfonse watched Kiran fight with a swell of pride and warmth in his chest, to see how far Kiran had come. The Summoner worked so efficiently and smoothly with the other Heroes, like it was routine for them at this point.

 

 

_“Promise me you won't leave us.. Without telling me first.” Alfonse whispered in the emptiness of the hallway, his gaze cast downward as he grasped the hem of Kiran’s sleeve._

_The Summoner had looked at him in such a way that made the Prince’s heart ache, Kiran was so close yet so far from his reach._

_Kiran had_ laughed, _actually laughed. The sound was like soft bells ringing in Alfonse’s ears, he could listen to Kiran laugh forever. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, if I left, who else would let you drool on their shoulder after a particularly boring reading session?” They had teased so affectionately, reaching for the Prince’s hand that was tangled in the cloth of their cloak._

_Alfonse’s eyes had widened, his mouth falling open the slightest. “They’re not boring, Kiran, I swear-”_

_His beloved Summoner had started laughing again, tears of mirth gathering in their eyes. “It’s okay, I dread them too. I just love teasing you, please forgive me.”_

_The Askran Prince couldn’t remember a time when he wouldn’t have ever not forgiven the Summoner._

 

 

“Alfonse!” Came the panicked shout of someone from across the battlefield, effectively snapping him out of the daze. He was on the battlefield, daydreaming could be a fatal mistake. Alfonse looked over to see who had called his name, just in time to witness that familiar white and gold cloak in a heap on the ground, blood staining its perfect colors.

Panic and dread set in and his legs were moving on autopilot before he could even register that Kiran was an unmoving lump on the ground. “Kiran!” Alfonse cried out as he raced to close the distance between himself and the Summoner. He heard his sister shout the same thing shortly after the screech of a dying wyvern rang out, but it sounded far off and in the distance now that his attention was zoned in on his beloved.

 

 

_Alfonse knocked lightly on the door to the Summoner’s study three times, waiting until he heard a soft affirmation behind the door to come in. He pushed it open and closed it with a soft ‘click’ behind him, smiling in greeting._

_Kiran was hunched over a couple reports, Anna’s messy scrawl evident, and beneath it was a map of the next region they were heading to. The Summoner hummed a greeting, never looking up from the reports._

_“Is this a bad time?” Alfonse asked gingerly, the easy smile still on his face as he took a couple steps towards the other. “I can come back later.”_

_Only then did Kiran finally look up, mild surprise in their expression. “Oh, sorry. I was so busy going over these reports from Anna that I didn’t even realize you had walked in.” They offered a tired but apologetic smile in return. “What can I do for you?”_

_The Prince continued walking until he was standing over the same reports that Kiran had been hunched over, barely skimming them as he spoke. “Would you like to go riding with me-”_

_Kiran was quick to jump up, looking eager to get away from their desk. “I’ll get my-”_

_“And have a picnic in the garden.” Alfonse blurted before he could chicken out, swallowing around the lump that had formed in his throat after he spit out the words._

_The Summoner seemed to consider this for a moment, blinking at the Prince before their face broke out in a bigger smile. “Are you asking me on a date?”_

_“Yes?” Alfonse put out hopefully, taking the other’s expression as an affirmation instead of a rejection._

_“Count me in.” Kiran had said with a nod._

 

_A while later, after they raced through the fields behind the castle and through the woods, expertly weaving through trees down a hidden path that wasn’t well worn with the exception of their past couple treks down here. They tied their horses to a tree, still laughing and hyper on adrenaline as Alfonse pulled the basket down from his saddle._

_“And when we flew over that hill, I swore to the gods you were going to fall off!” Kiran laughed, almost doubled over and barely breathing from the laughter. “You would think by now she trusts you.” The Summoner said after a moment of gasping for air, cheeks pink from laughing. They pulled the rolled up blanket down from the saddle of their brown mare, patting her side as they did. Kiran laid the cloth out, throwing a couple rocks on the corners to keep it weighed down._

_Alfonse laughed quietly along with Kiran as they retold the story, his own cheeks slightly colored out of embarrassment. He set the basket down next to Kiran, who had already sat down and crossed their legs._

_“I hope you’re as good a cook as Felicia!”_

_Alfonse’s nose scrunched up at the thought, almost offended. “I’ll have you know-”_

_Kiran rolled their eyes and patted the Prince’s hand that was still holding onto the basket. “I’m only teasing,_ again. _I know for a fact you probably did better than her.”_

_Alfonse huffed, feigning offense before the facade faded and he settled down next to Kiran. The Summoner made a great show of scooting closer to press the sides of their thighs together as they reached into the basket to pull out the contents._

_Happily munching on the delicious sandwiches Alfonse had packed, the Prince took in their surroundings. Any and all awkwardness that had been apparent their first couple times alone here was gone, there was such an easy comfort and atmosphere between them. He would never get tired of this place, their own hidden alcove in the forest that overlooked a beautiful field that seem to go on forever._

_The blades of grass dancing in the breeze, the warm sunlight that basked them in its glow, the flowers and the birds.. Alfonse could simply go on forever about the magnificence of the place, but perhaps the thing that made it all the more better.. The Prince glanced to his left, where it seemed Kiran was lost in thought as well. Their hood pulled down and the cloak hanging almost loosely off their shoulders like it was too big for them._

_Kiran’s hair blew softly in the breeze and Alfonse wished he could reach out to run his fingers through it. He swallowed the bite he had been working on, finding another lump had made its home in his throat. The Prince hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Kiran.. I have to confess that I never intended to become friends with you.” He murmured hesitantly, catching the attention of the Summoner beside him, who had stopped chewing in favor of listening._

_“But you're always there when I need you, to the extent that when you're not near, I feel...not quite myself. It's a delicate position to be in. The more you have to lose, the worse it hurts when you do. Others may open themselves to such hurt, but as a prince, I must remain strong. It seemed reasonable to keep everyone at a distance.” He continued, taking a deep breath._

_“But you've shown me the folly of that. I would have never discovered our fine friendship, had I not welcomed you in. And then what would I be? Less than I am. Now, I can only hope you feel the same. In any case, I swear to keep you safe. You're my trusted partner, Kiran.” Alfonse finished, his eyes cast downward again, embarrassed about the sentimentality of the moment. His Summoner was silent for a moment, but he could see Kiran setting down their sandwich._

_“Alfonse..” Came Kiran’s reply before they trailed off. Alfonse bit his lip, ready to take back all that he had said or claim it as platonic through and through, when a light touch ran down the length of his cheek. “I’m so happy to have met you, to fight these battles time and time again. I’m so honored to be your tactician, to have your back no matter what. I would be over the moon to be your partner.”_

_Alfonse cast a hopeful glance at the Summoner, his face now tilted up. “You’re being serious? You aren’t just teasing me?”_

_Kiran laughed again, the sound soothing the ache in Alfonse’s heart. “Of course.” The Summoner’s gaze flitted down to the other’s lips briefly before finding his eyes again. They seemed to hesitate. “May I?”_

_Alfonse wasted no time in nodding, leaning forward slightly to capture Kiran’s lips in his own before the other could say anything. The kiss was everything he had imagined and more, tasting of sweet sunshine and_ Kiran _. He couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect in the moment._

 

 

Alfonse shoved aside anyone in his path roughly who wouldn’t get out of his way as he dropped to his knees beside Kiran’s body. The Prince gently pulled the Summoner into his lap, despite the panic he felt building up inside. “Kiran! Gods, Kiran, where does it hurt? Where are you bleeding from?” Careful yet shaky hands combed through the red stained cloak, trying to find the source of the bleeding. “Please talk to me, my heart.” The Prince pleaded.

“Alfonse..” Kiran rasped out, their voice dull and soft now in the quiet of the battlefield. Nothing mattered anymore, Alfonse tuned out the sounds of the battle, the cries from Sharena and the confused calls of Anna. He heard other familiar voices among them, but none of them mattered against Kiran’s.

“Where is the bleeding? Where were you stabbed? Please tell me so I can help, Kiran, please!” Alfonse was begging, growing more and more frantic, never realizing he was crying until Kiran reached a weak hand up to wipe at his wet cheeks. “I need a healer, please! Someone!” He cried out, looking around frantically.

He felt two hands cup his cheeks, gently guiding his face down. Alfonse followed, never protesting the weak grip of his beloved. “Kiran, please, you can’t die. You’re my everything, you can’t die.” The Prince managed to spit out between a clenched jaw, the tears falling more freely now.

“You are my sunshine..” Came Kiran’s raspy voice again, this time singing an unfailimilar tune. “My only sunshine..”

“What in gods name are you singing, Kiran?” Alfonse demanded softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he stared down at his lover. Those eyes were still bright in the midst of bleeding out, still bright in the middle of a battlefield where they had witnessed so much death at the hands of their own self.

“You make me happy..” The Summoner coughed feebly, the tune breaking off for a moment. “When skies are grey.. You never know, dear, how much I love you..”

“You’re scaring me, you’re not going to die. Quit singing that song!” Alfonse wept, clenching Kiran’s white cloak in his hands. “You can’t die. I let you in, Kiran, I loved you.”

“Please don’t take my sunshine away..” The Summoner broke off into another coughing fit, this one weaker with more desperate gasps for air afterwards.

“You’re being taken from me, you idiot!” Alfonse’s grief was thinly veiled by anger, anger he felt at himself for being unable to protect his Summoner like he had promised all those months ago. What a failure Alfonse had turned out to be in the end, unable to keep those closest to him safe. Whatever song Kiran had been singing resonated within him, he could see the clouds of a dark storm taking away the brightest light in his life.

Kiran closed their eyes, their breathing growing more and more shallow. Alfonse was vaguely aware of someone kneeling beside Kiran and himself, a light in the edges of his vision. He was clenching the Summoner’s cloak so tightly his knuckles turned white, his anger slowly turning to anguish as he leaned down to bury his head in his beloved’s cloak. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe, that I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I failed you, Kiran.” He sobbed, letting out a mournful cry that was muffled by the Summoner’s chest and clothes.

The battle had died down, anyone that was left had surrendered after witnessing what had just happened, no longer wishing to shed anymore unnecessary blood.

 

The war ended a few weeks later.

 

The alcove in the forest, overlooking the meadow, one of the most peaceful spots in the entirety of Askr. Nothing could rival it’s beauty, no other place like it existed. No other place held such dear memories, memories he held close to his heart. His mare made a soft noise of content, shuffling her feet against the grass.

Alfonse sucked in a deep breath and gazed out at the field for a couple moments longer before he heard the soft whicker of a horse that wasn’t his own. He put a smile on his face and turned his mare so he could face the newcomer.

“They let you go already?”

That damned smile and the soft laugh that accompanied it, Kiran was sporting casual wear instead of their usual cloak which was undergoing some much needed stain removal. “More like I snuck out, why are healers so overbearing? I’ve been healed for weeks.”

Alfonse rolled his eyes, something he must’ve picked up from his Summoner. “I think they were afraid of bleeding elsewhere, Kiran, it was a deep wound.”

The Summoner shrugged, wincing slightly. “I guess it’s still a little sore, nothing I can’t handle though.” They reassured once they caught sight of Alfonse’s unapproving gaze. “Race you back to the castle?”

“What do I get if I win?” Alfonse challenged, already shifting himself into a more comfortable riding position.

Kiran seemed to think on it for a moment, gaze rolling upwards as they thought. “How about you get to choose the next book we read for a whole month?”

“Two months.”

“Deal.” And with that Kiran kicked their horse into a running gallop, taking the lead with a head start and a laugh. “You’ll eat my dust, Prince!”

“Hey! You cheated!” Alfonse called out after his Summoner, pushing his own horse into a gallop through the forest, following the sounds of his beloved’s laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> i couldnt leave my boy with a sad ending, im w e a k  
> special thanks to my boyfriend for proof reading and putting up with my obsession <33  
> thanks for reading! <3


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